WhatsappVideos and pictures are spreading through Arab social media channels not only showing the Philadelphi Corridor under full Israeli control, but paved and painted with official traffic markings and signs.
This act has all but solidified Israel’s hold over the strategic passageway that runs along the border of Gaza and Egypt. It not only shows the permanence of Israel’s presence, but just how normal and sovereign the presence is. In the days before Israel uprooted the Jews that had been living in Gaza, the Philadelphi Corridor was essential to making sure Arab terrorists in Gaza were not able to smuggle weaponry into the Gaza Strip.
After Ariel Sharon pulled out all Jewish residents from the Gaza Strip, the Bush administration pressured Israel to leave the Philadelphi Corridor even though it had not been part of the original withdrawal plan.
In today’s conflict with radical Jihad, loss of land is the only tool that works in ensuring real victory. After all Israel is fighting a culture that glorifies death so how else can it deter Jihadists in the future – only if the populace that put them in power sees that by doing so they will ultimately lose and lose big.
By creating permanent control over the Philadelphi Corridor and other parts of Gaza, Israel is making it clear to the Arab world – “If you attack the Jewish State – you will lose.”
